I had a fork speared with a mouthful of this salad (half a juicy grape, crunchy romaine, moist chicken and tangy feta tossed in Almond Butter dressing) halfway to my lips last Friday at work – when my spunky colleague Tasha peered over her bowl of noodles from the canteen and asked me:

“Are you eating that to lose weight?”

Hmm. Pause. Think about it. Weird but the answer is:

“No I’m not. I kinda just…”

“Eat like that. She eats like that normally-lahhh,” another colleague, Reza, chimed in.

And it’s true.

I think maybe there was a time when healthy food eating was dictated by my desire to be thinner or to have better skin or something.

But then a conscious effort to eat healthily turned into a habit.

And the habit turned into genuine love.

I LOVE eating my salads. I LOVE that they’re fresh and crunchy and full of flavor. I LOVE that they make me feel both virtuous and like I’m winning at life.

I LOVE that eating them makes me feel light and energized. And I LOVE that after making salad eating something I do, almost everyday, I do indeed have better skin/a better body/a clearer mind.

Clear colon = clear mind?

MAYBE.

Too much information?

DEFINITELY.

So let’s get going!

This salad is so good because all the components tie it together. Unlike the way the blog Pinch of Yum describes it (recipe slightly adapted from there), I do not in fact think the dressing is that great by itself. BUT with all the ingredients in it – it’s like magic. The almond butter dressing is hearty and brings together the veg/fruit/protein/nut combo beautifully.

Make it and thank me.

Protein Accompaniment
Boneless chicken breasts/thighs, as much as you want
olive oil
2 Tbsps freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 tsp salt

Almond Butter Dressing
3 Tbsps almond butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsps freshly squeezed orange juice
3 Tbsps water
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne powder
ground black pepper

Salad
red grapes, halved, as much as you want
Romaine lettuce, chopped, as much as you want
feta cheese, crumbled, as much as you want
almonds, chopped or crushed, as much as you want
precooked pasta, as much as you want

Protein Accompaniment
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Toss the chicken with a bit of olive oil, the orange juice and salt.

Lay it on the grill bit and bake for 20 to 30 minutes – flipping once halfway through.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Chop into bite sized chunks.

Almond Butter Dressing
Put all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Store in a glass jar in the fridge until needed.

Salad

Fix a bowl (it needs to be big enough to handle the tossing) with all the salad ingredients and protein accompaniment.

Dollop with a tbsp or two or the dressing.

Toss carefully to coat evenly.

Serve.

So pretty. Like a painting. 😛